[Outro: James Hetfield]
So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No, nothing else matters

More on Genius

About “Nothing Else Matters”

On their controversial self-titled album which came to be known as the Black Album, “Nothing Else Matters” was perhaps the greatest example of the new Metallica sound that alienated core fans. Frontman James Hetfield had been taking classical guitar lessons and wanted to show off his fingerpicking skills in the introduction. The song grew out of an extension of a phone call James made with his girlfriend while on tour and he was picking his guitar while on the phone.

While the song does get heavy during the second guitar solo, it is for the most part, a ballad about expressing your feelings, like an Emerson poem:

It has become a song that any complete beginner who has never picked up a guitar can feel like they are playing Metallica for a few measures.

Famed Hollywood composer Michael Kamen contributed an orchestrated part, which was mixed somewhat low in the song. To compensate, years later Metallica did the S&M concert and album with Kamen conducting the San Francisco Symphony, with “Nothing Else Matters” being a centerpiece.

What have the artists said about the song?

The lyrics, which talk about being “so close, no matter how far”, were also dedicated to his girlfriend, indicating the bond they shared even when Hetfield was on tour. Initially, the song was not meant to be released, as Hetfield had written it for himself, but after drummer Lars Ulrich heard it, it was considered for the album